Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:30:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Smith <faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com>
Subject: Almost Crying - The Tutor

Author Michael Smith sets aside the wonderful manga he has just reread, his
thoughts overflowing with beautiful stories and inspiring tales. The manga,
Almost Crying by Mako Takahashi, must be shared, this much he knows, and so
he sets to work on rewriting the stories so others may share in their
beauty and passion. Within these pages you, the reader, will find tales of
inspired life, romance, and love. While this journey is a retelling of the
creative work of those who have come before, it is one worth sharing
together. May these stories leave you laughing, sighing, and always almost
crying.

     Max Hughes is a goofy nerd with a secret crush. Brandon O'Leary is a
dumb jock with a gentle touch. When fate and poor scores on a science test
place Brandon in Max's capable hands for tutoring, both boys find mammals
aren't the only subject on the study guide, but will Max's true feelings
towards Brandon win him true love or a broken heart?

DISCLAIMER

The following story is completely fictitious and any resemblances to
persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Just as in life, this
story contains graphic scenes of love and hate, life and death, joy and
sorrow, as well as sexually explicit scenes which may involve minors. If it
is unlawful for you to view such media, or such material makes you feel
uncomfortable, then please read no further than this warning.

COPYWRITE

This story is fan-fiction inspired by the creative works of Mako Takahashi
in the yaoi manga Almost Crying published by Digital Manga Publishing
(DMP). The author of this story, Michael Smith, does not claim ownership of
any aspect of the manga Almost Crying; this is a freely written tribute to
a wonderful work of storytelling. If anything, the author encourages those
that enjoy this story to make purchase of a copy of Almost Crying by Mako
Takahashi as he himself has done... three times.

     The original work of Mako Takahashi is reflective of the Japanese
culture and while the author, Michael Smith, respects and enjoys many
aspects of the Japanese tradition, he understands he does not have the
appropriate background to communicate all of the necessary nuances and
subtleties to fully convey the stories offered in the manga Almost
Crying. To remedy this, he has reconstructed the stories with a more
western tone, in the hopes of properly passing on the inherent beauty of
Mako Takahashi's stories to a new audience.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I would appreciate any constructive criticism you have to offer me, but
anything that lacks any form of redirection or remedy will be ignored.
Also, anyone commenting on how I need to make things hotter and steamier
between certain characters will be equally ignored. The sexual content of
my stories, while present, does not make up the majority of the
storytelling. Send legitimate questions or comments to:
faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com.

ALMOST CRYING -- THE TUTOR

Max Hughes sighed to himself as the day seemed to drag on at an
unreasonably slow pace; the school bell primed to ring for the last hour it
seemed. As his history teacher, a Neanderthal of a football coach, prattled
on about famous dead people, Max allowed his mind to wander aimlessly. It
wasn't until the harsh and blissful sound of the school bell signaled the
end of the day and another boring lesson that Max gathered up his books and
slung the rather weighty book bag over his slim shoulders. As he made his
way hastily out of the classroom and into the crowded hallway, he could
hear his name being called. He tried to walk faster without it looking like
he was running towards the exit.

     "Max!" the man voiced again, this time loud enough that a few other
students were turning their heads to look at the freshman who was
attempting to make a break for it.

     Turning around with a smile, Max pretended not to have heard his name
until now and greeted the approaching guidance councilor, "Hey there,
Mr. Rosenberg. I didn't hear ya."

     Mr. Rosenberg wasn't buying it.

     Max Hughes was an exceptionally talented boy, a little on the scrawny
side with short and messy red hair, brown eyes hidden behind clunky
black-framed glasses, and a goofy grin. His entire look screamed `I'm a
nerd, come and beat me up,' but his cheerful attitude and infectious humor
seemed to win him more friends than bullies. He wasn't popular by any
means, but he wasn't shunned by anyone in particular. Like most fourteen
year olds, he simply took up space in the hallway.

     "Nice try, Max." Mr. Rosenberg, a jolly man of fifty chuckled, "You
know you could have just said something earlier if you didn't want to
participate in our student tutoring program. You're a gifted kid; it would
be a shame to waste that talent, but if you'd rather spend your free time
doing something else..."

     "No, no," Max defended, "It's nothing like that, I just forgot.
Honest."

     "If you say so, Max." the councilor sighed without a hint of anger in
his voice. "Anyhow, your assigned buddy is waiting in Mrs. Martian's
classroom in the science wing. If you are still up for it, why don't you go
down and collect him. I'm sure Mrs. Martian would prefer you collect him
sooner rather than later."

     "Sure thing," Max replied with more enthusiasm than he really felt,
"I'm just going to go and drop this stuff off first. I'll go down to
Mrs. Martian's room right after, promise."

     "Alright, just don't make them wait too long, remember we aren't
paying you by the hour." Mr. Rosenberg chuckled once more as he ruffled the
youth's already disheveled hair before going along his own way. As he
passed by Max, the boy's cheerful smile almost immediately dropped to a
crestfallen defeat.

     He had been so close.

     After a brief stop at his locker to drop off the books he wouldn't
need to take with him, he walked to Mrs. Martian's room where the generally
attractive science teacher was finishing up some papers. As Max looked into
the room he could see the object of his hesitation attempting to spin the
planet Earth on the tip of his finger like a small blue and green
basketball. As the model of planet Earth wobbled precariously on its axis
the planet spun wildly out of control and fell with a hollow plastic thud
to the unforgiving ground below. Max could almost see the flattened
remnants of Australia as the model rolled away.

     Those poor Aborigines, Max thought to himself.

     "Mr. O'Leary, can you please knock it off. I know you are bored, but
can the world go a single day without you attempting to destroy it?"
Mrs. Martian griped without removing her eyes from her stack of papers. Her
red pen was poised to strike down all manner of incompetence, and Brandon
O'Leary almost looked like he believed she would mark him full of red ink
should he anger her further.

     "Sorry, Mrs. Martian." The boy said in all seriousness as he hastily
picked the globe back up and returned it to its rightful spot on the
display table.

     Max caught himself smiling and let out a soft sigh.

     Brandon O'Leary was one of those pretty kids that for the most part
skated through life on charm and a smile. He had an innocent look about him
and was easily one of the most popular kids in school, even though he was a
freshman, like Max. With naturally wavy brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and
a small sprinkling of freckles, the kid was a looker, yet he seemed
completely oblivious to most things. He was, for lack of a better term, a
dumb jock; but at least he was friendly.

     "Oh, hey, you must be my partner." Brandon smiled as he saw Max
standing in the doorway of the science room. As Brandon flicked an errant
wave of hair out of his eyes Max was suddenly reminded of why he had tried
to avoid this situation; he, for whatever reason, had a crush on Brandon
O'Leary. Mrs. Martian seemed to ignore the two boys as Brandon collected
his book bag from an empty desk and easily hefted the monstrous pack over a
very developed shoulder.

     "Hey," Brandon greeted as he extended his hand to Max, "I'm Brandon. I
think we have a couple classes together, or something. You're Max, right?"

     "Yeah, Max Hughes," Max replied as he sheepishly took Brandon's hand,
"We have gym and religion together."

     Brandon's handshake was warm and strong and Max slowly began to wonder
what his touch would feel like in other places. He must have been blushing
a bit because Brandon seemed to smile and mistook his redness for
embarrassment at mentioning having gym together. After all, gym was a
generally embarrassing time for most boys who weren't as developed as their
peers, and Max wasn't what one would describe as overly developed.

     "Oh, that's right." Brandon remembered as he tried to pull the
conversation more towards religion as opposed to gym, "Ms. Papa is a little
weird, don't you think?"

     It seemed to Max that Brandon was being sensitive to his feelings, but
it was true; Ms. Papa was a little on the eccentric side. She didn't seem
to care she was supposed to be teaching a Roman Catholic religion class in
a Roman Catholic high school. Instead, she seemed to spend more time
comparing the other religions of the world to Catholicism to expand the
student's viewpoints. She was tough, Italian, and opinionated, but she
could definitely hold her own in any debate. Max liked her.

     As the boys exited Mrs. Martian's classroom and made their way down
the hall, Brandon seemed to go on and on about nothing in particular. The
boy seemed to love to talk, and whether it was because he was nervous about
having to be tutored in biology, or whether he was just uncomfortable
around his new tutor, he seemed to be stealing glances at Max now and
again, as if nonchalantly sizing him up.

     "So, where are we going to do this shin-dig?" Brandon asked playfully
as he turned around to walk backwards facing his slightly younger tutor.

     "Well," Max thought, "there is the school library. It is open to
students for an hour after classes get out just for studying."

     "Or...?" Brandon asked, obviously not thrilled with the idea of having
to sit around in a room filled with books.

     "Well," Max began, "we could go to my house to study. My dad doesn't
get home until later, but it is within walking distance and it would be
quiet."

     Brandon seemed to weigh the choices in his head for a moment before
replying, "I'd rather hang at your place, if it is all the same to you?"

     "Sure," Max answered, suddenly feeling nervous that he was going to
actually have Brandon O'Leary in his house, in his room, maybe even on his
bed. "But you have to remember, we aren't `hanging out,' we are
studying. By the way, how did you fail a quiz on mammals? I mean, we're
mammals."

     "No, dude," Brandon chuckled as he turned back around while they
walked towards the door, "we're humans."

     Max let out a silent sigh; beautiful and dumb. It was going to be a
long week.




"There are so many books..." was Brandon O'Leary's first impression of the
Hughes' house. Indeed, there were many books on many bookshelves which
could be found all throughout the house. In every room of the small two
bedroom house there was some sort of devotion to literature or the arts. "I
bet there are even books in the bathroom."

     "Yeah, sorry," Max seemed to blush, "My dad and I sort of really like
books."

     "Really?" Brandon teased in good humor as he gestured to the towering
book cases behind him, "I never would have guessed. So, where's your room?"

     "Umm, my room?" Max asked a little surprised the handsome kid wanted
to see his room so soon.

     "Yeah," Brandon replied with a smirk, "it's that place you generally
sleep in, but some people use it to study."

     "Oh, yeah," Max caught himself momentarily daydreaming, "I mean, yeah,
it is right through here. We can drop our stuff off there and set up shop
in the living room if you want. It has a little more room to work."

     "Whatever works, you're the genius." Brandon half commented to himself
as he continued to look around and make small talk. "So it is just you and
your dad?"

     "Yeah." Max explained as he showed Brandon towards his room. "My mom
left a few years ago for the coast. She said she just couldn't deal with a
family anymore. She has a boyfriend now, his name is Chet. How cliché is
that?"

     "That sucks, dude." Brandon said as he laid a comforting hand on Max's
shoulder. Immediately Max found himself enjoying the contact which seemed
to last a little longer than he had expected, which wasn't to say he was
complaining. As they entered the small room, Brandon set his book bag down
on the floor and plopped down on Max's bed as he sprawled out a bit, making
himself at home. "So, where you want to start?"

     "Huh?" Max asked a little confused, getting a couple mixed signals.

     "The biology stuff, mammals and whatnot, where do you want to start?"
Brandon asked as he sat up a bit sheepishly, having forgotten his
manners. "Sorry, I've got three brothers and we are sort of informal around
each other and stuff."

     "Oh, it's okay." Max replied as he set his own book bag down and
fished out his Bio 1 text book. "Umm, I guess we should start at the
beginning of the chapter on mammals. Just go over which traits mammals
share that set them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom."

     Brandon laughed a bit to himself.

     "What's so funny?" Max scowled as he pushed up his glasses.

     "Nothing," Brandon chuckled as he looked Max in the eyes, "I was just
thinking how when you say it, it doesn't seem like it is going to be so
bad. When Mrs. Martian says we are going to learn `blah-blah-blah' I get
all nervous. I guess it is because she is so damn intimidating with that
red pen of hers, and you are about as intimidating as my pet bunny."

     "You have a rabbit?" Max asked a little surprised before he caught the
subtle jab, "Hey, I can be intimidating... when I want to be."

     "Sure, like I believe that," Brandon laughed even harder as he tried
to imagine Max as being intimidating, "you're too cute to be scary."

      Brandon kept chuckling to himself and whether he had missed his own
words or not, Max hadn't. Brandon O'Leary thought he was cute. As the boys
finally settled down and began working on mammals, Max kept getting a fuzzy
feeling inside his stomach every time he would catch Brandon looking at
him, only to have Brandon smile and turn back to the text book they were
sharing. It was odd, Max thought, but maybe Brandon was just acting like he
normally did around his brothers; he wasn't nervous or even shy like Max
seemed to become in his presence.

     "Please?" Brandon pleaded as he let his head hang off the side of
Max's bed obviously tired of studying.

     Max didn't answer right away as he was too busy looking over Brandon's
perfect, albeit clothed, body as it lay sprawled out on his bed without
fear of the other boy catching his glances.

     "Come on, please?" the boy pleaded again. "I've learned a lot, really,
I have."

     "It's only been forty-five minutes." Max argued as he was pulled away
from his gazing. "We can't take a break just yet."

     "Oh, come on, Max." the boy tried once more, "Just a quick ten or
twenty minute break from studying."

     Max shook his head and smiled in defeat.

     "Okay, we can take a little break, but only if you do one of the end
of chapter quizzes." Max negotiated.

     "Deal," Brandon agreed as his head shot back up to give Max a
breathtakingly beautiful smile. "I bet I ace it."

     "Oh really?" Max asked cheekily. "What do you wager?"

     "Well, what do you want if I don't pass?" Brandon asked
seriously. While it had been a joke, Brandon seemed to regard it as a
serious question and to Max's surprise spent the next few moments seriously
awaiting his reply.

     "Umm..." Max blushed and turned away before Brandon could
see. "Nothing; I was just goofing around. Anyway, how about we just see how
you do and I will see if it is worthy of a break, okay?"

     "Sounds fair to me," Brandon replied as he looked a little worried
towards his tutor, "but are you feeling okay? You seem a little shaky."

     "Yeah, I'm fine." Max said with more confidence than he felt as he
averted his eyes from the beautiful boy next to him.

     Max could feel Brandon shifting his weight on the bed and a few
moments later felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his small frame. Max
was a little confused, but the embrace felt nice and he immediately felt
himself stop shaking and felt the nervousness wash away from his body. As
Brandon completed the embrace, Max could feel the other boy's warm breath
on the back of his neck and suddenly Max felt his heart racing.

     "You remind me a lot of my bunny, Trevor," Brandon said calmly as Max
listened to his confident and steady voice, "he is goofy, cute, and
loveable, but he is fragile, nervous, and he gets worked up sometimes
too. So what I do is I hold him, like this, until he calms down, and I talk
to him, like this, and let him know he is going to be okay. You are smart,
Max, and a really good tutor. Everything is going to be okay, I promise. I
won't let you down."

     These strange and friendly words from Brandon were unexpected, yet
reflective of the kind smile and underlying nature of the boy that Max had
admired from afar. As Max felt his body give in to the warm arms embracing
him, in unspoken understanding, both boys slowly laid down and simply
snuggled with Brandon's arms wrapped around Max, their body's so close
together that Max could feel Brandon's own heart beating strongly and
calmly.

     "Okay," Max gave up, "maybe, like, a little break or something."

     Max could almost imagine a smile creeping across Brandon's beautiful
face.




After remaining in their embrace for a while longer, Brandon had released
Max, happy the boy was feeling better. The athlete didn't seem to make a
huge deal out of it and while it had surprised Max, he too didn't want to
make a huge deal about the hug. The two of them navigated their way into
the kitchen and Max got them a snack. While it only consisted of pops and
some PB and J sandwiches, Brandon was polite and ate everything before him.

     "I can't believe you guys get the raspberry jam," Brandon commented
gleefully as he enjoyed his second sandwich, "I love it, but I'm the only
one in my family that eats the stuff so we never get it. Who makes this
brand? It is so much better than anything else I've ever tried."

     Max smiled at the simple joy raspberry jam had brought to the boy.

     "It is actually homemade." Max informed, "My dad and I like to
experiment with stuff like that, and since making preserves are just a
chemical process we sort of wanted to see how it would work. We got a few
books on it, got some fresh raspberries from the farmer's market and a few
painstaking trials later, well you can taste the results for yourself."

     "Wait, you guys do this stuff at home, together?" Brandon asked with a
little bit of a laugh, "Sorry, it is just that I can't imagine my dad EVER
doing stuff like that with me, I mean like cooking stuff. Unless it is on a
barbeque or something with lots of fire, he generally thinks cooking is a
girl thing."

     Brandon immediately seemed to catch himself, like he had said
something wrong.

     "I'm sorry," Brandon said, "I mean, I didn't mean to imply I thought
what you and your dad do is girly or nothing..."

     "It's okay," Max laughed a little bit to let Brandon know he wasn't
mad, "everybody's family is a bit different, and everybody's parents think
about things a little differently."

     "Yeah, I guess you are right, Max." Brandon seemed to cheer up a bit
as he thought about it. "Man, you are one smart dude, you know that?"

     "So I've been told." Max grinned back cheekily.

     As the boys continued to talk a bit in the kitchen they heard a car
door slam and the jingle of keys as footsteps approached the front door.

     "Oh, that is just my dad." Max replied to Brandon's questioning look.

     To the young redhead's surprise, Brandon seemed to straighten up and
become a bit more timid at the sound of the approaching footsteps. As the
bottom lock was undone and the door opened, into the house stepped Max's
dad, a middle-aged man of average height and build who carried the same red
hair as his son. He was dressed nicely, but a step below business casual,
and carried a backpack over his shoulder. As he took off his sunglasses, he
gave the boy's before him the same goofy smile as his son, which
immediately set Brandon at ease.

     "Well now, what do we have here?" Mr. Hughes asked of his son and
guest.

     "Hey dad," Max happily grinned, "this is Brandon O'Leary, from school;
I am helping him with science for the afterschool tutoring thing I told you
about. You know, mammals and stuff."

     Mr. Hughes gave both boys and the kitchen an appraising glance.

     "Yeah, I can see that," Mr. Hughes replied to his son, "I suppose one
finds many mammals inside a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

     "We were taking a break, dad." Max shot back sarcastically, knowing
his father was joking.

     "Sure you were." Mr. Hughes played along in his continued joshing of
his son. "Either way, Brandon it is nice to meet you, I'm Max's dad, Ryan."

     Immediately Brandon O'Leary was broken from the trance of watching a
father and son lovingly banter back and forth. He took a few steps into the
living room from the kitchen as Mr. Hughes put down his worn backpack and
he shook the man's hand. He was surprised to find Mr. Hughes stronger than
he had appeared yet possessed of that same goofy humor as his son.

     "Nice to meet you too, sir." Brandon replied formally. "We were just
about to get back to work... after we clean up, of course."

     "What?" Mr. Hughes asked, "You mean you are actually going to clean up
your dishes and not leave them over the entire counter area?"

     Max rolled his eyes.

     "You don't want to be my NEW son, do you?" Mr. Hughes asked
good-humoredly. "I've had this one for fourteen years, so sometimes it
forgets to pick up after itself. I'm more than willing to do a trade in
with your parents, but I don't think I could get much for him."

     "Well," Brandon responded, finally picking up on the joke, "my parents
have three more boys at home, so I'm sure they wouldn't miss me too much."

     Despite the cheesy jokes, Max laughed in spite of himself. Brandon and
his dad were getting along, which was good, but more importantly, he and
Brandon were getting along too. He was still a little unsure about the hug
they had shared on his bed, but as Max looked at Brandon as he continued to
joke and tease with Max's dad, mostly at Max's expense, he couldn't help
but feel this unknown warmth overflowing from his heart.




About another hour after Max's dad had arrived, Brandon was getting his
stuff together. He had called ahead to his parents to let him know
Mr. Hughes was going to give him a ride home. As the last part of their
studying, Max checked the end of chapter review and was surprised to find
Brandon had done fairly well on it, only missing a few of the short answer
questions.

     "Not so bad, eh?" Brandon replied with a smirk.

     "I know you can do better," Max responded, "but it is a good start."

     The boys talked a bit longer as Mr. Hughes got a small jar of
raspberry jam for Brandon from the basement, so he could have some at his
house. It was a nice gesture, and Brandon was very thankful to Mr. Hughes
who informed him that he and Max had gone a little overboard in their
attempts to make preserves. Luckily, preserves last for a while, he had
joked.

     "You know," Brandon said once Mr. Hughes was out of earshot, "you're
dad is really cool. I mean, he is like nice and stuff."

     "Oh, he can be mean when he wants to be," Max joked knowing Brandon
was right, "but yeah, he is."

     As Mr. Hughes left with Brandon to drive him home, he left Max with
some money to order a pizza for when he got back.

     "You know," Mr. Hughes said as he closed his door and started up his
truck, "we really don't mind if you stay for dinner."

     "Thanks, but I really do have to get home." Brandon replied. "I
already promised my mom I would be home for dinner, but maybe another
night?"

     "Definitely," Mr. Hughes smiled, "You are always welcome at our house;
just don't expect me to treat you any different than Max."

     The last comment seemed to make Brandon O'Leary smile and before too
long they pulled up in front of the O'Leary house, which was fairly big
compared to the Hughes'. As they got out, Mr. Hughes walked Brandon to the
door and asked if he could speak to his parents.

     "Just to get to know them a bit, introduce myself." Mr. Hughes smiled
to Brandon's question. "After all, they trust me with their son, so I
wanted to just let them know who I was and see who they are. I assure you,
it is a harmlessly dull thing parents have been doing for years."

     As they walked into the living room, Mr. Hughes and Brandon were met
by a couple older boys, both of them with a very athletic build. They
seemed to be lounging around the living room, but immediately noticed their
youngest brother in the company of a strange man, but then seemed to
dismiss it.

     "Hey, Cody," Brandon asked to his older brother who was sprawled out
on the couch watching a relatively violent movie, "where's mom? This is
Mr. Hughes, the dad of the person helping me with my biology stuff; he just
wanted to meet her."

     "Kitchen." The young man replied without paying much attention to his
brother or their guest.

     As they continued through the living room into a large open hallway,
Mr. Hughes could see a very beautiful woman working in the kitchen
preparing dinner for her family. As they entered the kitchen, she turned
around and, seeing her son in the company of the man she assumed had given
him a ride home, she smiled warmly.

     "You must be Max's father," she greeted kindly as she removed an oven
mitt and extended a graceful hand towards the new face, "it is nice to meet
you, I'm Rose O'Leary, Brandon's mother."

     "It's is nice to meet you, Rose." Mr. Hughes replied as he took her
hand in his own, "I'm Ryan. I can see where your son gets his friendly
manner."

     Rose seemed blush at the complement.

     "Well, yes, I suppose in that regard he is the only one of my boys
that takes after me." She commented as she ventured a tentative look into
the living room to see two of her other sons laying about like sloths. "It
is very kind of you to say."

     "Not at all," Mr. Hughes continued as he saw Rose give her son a
loving squeeze on the shoulders, "I just wanted you to know, he is welcome
at our house any time. I think the boys were planning on meeting again
after school tomorrow. I know they had talked about it before, but would it
be alright if he stayed for dinner? I only ask because I think Max would
like having someone other than me to talk to over a meal, and it would let
me show off a bit my cooking skills, which I don't get to do very often."

     "Oh, no, that should be fine." Rose replied, "So... your wife?"

     Brandon sort of sensed this might be an adult only conversation, so he
excused himself to go check on Trevor, his rabbit, upstairs.

     "Elena was a bit of a free spirit." Mr. Hughes sadly grinned. "She
decided one morning the husband and kid thing wasn't for her and left. She
was a beautiful and independent woman, and that is what I loved about her,
but in the end she wasn't cut out for the family life. It has been two
years, and she hasn't made any real effort to contact myself or Max in that
time. So, yes, it is just me and my son, right now. The paperwork on the
divorce has gone through, but I am not in any real rush to get into another
relationship, not when I have my son to think about."

     "I can appreciate that," Rose nodded, "and out of curiosity, what is
it you do?"

     "I'm a teacher." Ryan replied. "I teach business ethics and management
up at St. Justin's University, or at least that is what I tell my
students. For the most part it feels like an exercise in futility trying to
instill work ethic and a proper business mindset in these college kids."

     "Oh, well, teaching is a very noble profession." Rose admired. "It is
no wonder your son enrolled in the tutoring program as a helper. It took
everything I had to convince Brandon's father to let him join it to get the
help he needed."

     "Is he not a fan of the tutoring program?" Ryan asked a little
surprised.

     "He is not a fan of `weakness.'" Rose said a little candidly.

     "Well, your son is far from weak, from what I can tell." Ryan
commented, "He has a strong body, a good heart, and if he is anything like
his mother, a lot of common sense."

     "Well, thank you, Ryan." Mrs. O'Leary blushed a bit. "I will plan on
Brandon staying for dinner at your house tomorrow night, if you are sure it
won't be an inconvenience."

     "Not at all." Mr. Hughes replied. "Oh, and before I forget..."

     Mr. Hughes reached into his pocket a pulled out a small jar of
raspberry preserves.

     "Between our sons, they managed to polish off one of these jars of
raspberry preserves for a snack, "he explained, "so I figured it wouldn't
go to waste if Brandon brought some home with him. I think he said
something about him being the only one to really like the stuff, so I
imagine it will be safe out in the open?"

     "Only if I leave him some myself." Mrs. O'Leary replied. "My husband
and my other boys don't really care for raspberries, but Brandon and I love
it. My husband just grumbles about buying two kinds of jelly at the store
when one kind will do."

     "Well, then, I might have to get a bigger jar to send home with
Brandon the next time he visits." Mr. Hughes smiled. "Anyway, I promised my
son I wouldn't be gone too long. It was very nice meeting you Rose, and I
think I can show myself out if you want to get back to dinner."

     With a smile Mr. Hughes excused himself.




"Chicken and bacon," Mr. Hughes sighed to himself, "I should have known
you'd order that if I didn't leave specific instructions."

     "Yeah," Max grinned as his father dug into the pizza in spite of
himself, "you should have."

     Max and his dad ate the pizza as they talked about their day and as
Mr. Hughes told his son about meeting Brandon's mom. As Mr. Hughes listened
to his son talk about their studying and the quiz Brandon had taken
afterwards, he couldn't help but marvel at his son.

     "You are a really wonderful young man, you know that?" he asked as he
helped himself to another piece of pizza.

     "I'm not that great," Max modestly deflected the complement, "I
mean... Brandon isn't as stupid as he is making himself look."

     "Probably not," Mr. Hughes agreed. "He has a good head on his
shoulders. I like Brandon, he is a good kid."

     "Yeah," Max echoed, "He's really great."

     As Max continued to eat his piece of pizza, Mr. Hughes quietly
reflected on his son's words and smiled to himself; oh, to be young and in
love, he thought.




The next day at school, Max found he was a bit unfocused and actually
looking forward to his new tutoring gig. He was constantly scanning the
hallways for Brandon O'Leary, but it wasn't until they were filling in
towards the gym that he caught sight of Brandon through a crowd of kids
descending the stares into the hardwood floored arena. As the boys and
girls made their way towards the separate locker rooms, Max snuck away
towards his usual spot in the back to change. As he got his clothes out of
his backpack, he turned around as he was greeted by a smiling Brandon
O'Leary.

     "Hey, Max." he greeted his new friend, "How's it going?"

     "Umm... good?" Max replied a little nervous at Brandon being in such
close proximity to him as they were getting ready to change. "Don't you
usually change over there with everybody else?"

     "Yeah, but I was sort of thinking about yesterday." Brandon said
nonchalantly as Max's heart jumped into his throat, "I was thinking about
how you seemed all nervous when we talked about gym and stuff, and I just
wanted you to know it is okay. I mean, I've noticed how you sort of sneak
off to get changed, but there is nothing to be shy or embarrassed about. I
mean, everybody develops at their own pace, right? So I was just going to
sort of change here, if it is okay, and that way if anybody comes by you
are behind me and it is all good."

     Max was both moved by Brandon's gesture and immediately aware that he
really liked the idea of getting to see Brandon O'Leary change more closely
than he had dared in the past.

     "Umm, okay," Max was able to respond, "yeah, thanks."

     "No problem." Brandon smiled as he began to removed his shirt.

     The students usually had ten minutes or so to change clothes before
gym class and Max figured he must have wasted five minutes of it watching
Brandon pull his shirt off and over his head in slow motion. The boy's body
was perfect, not overly toned or developed, but that perfect mix of skinny
and muscled that few teenagers could pull off. As Brandon moved on to
unbuttoning his belt and undoing his pants, he slid the material down his
perfect legs to reveal a pair of white boxer briefs with a nice bulge in
the front. As he absentmindedly kicked off his shoes to get his pants all
the way off, Brandon looked up to Max who quickly turned away so as not to
appear like he had been staring.

     "What are you waiting for?" Brandon asked cheekily. "We don't have all
day to change."

     "Right, I knew that." Max replied as he himself removed his shoes and
slowly began the process of changing into his gym clothes.

     Unlike Brandon, Max Hughes was about as developed as he had been three
years ago. His body was skinny, but lacked any muscle definition. His legs
and arms were devoid of almost all hair and he hadn't even begun to sprout
underarm hair. What little hair he did have over his privates wasn't much
more than a few wispy promises of changes to come. As he reluctantly
revealed his own green boxer shorts, he couldn't help but imagine he saw
Brandon sneak a peek at them as he fumbled with the drawstring of his
athletic shorts.

     Max must have imagined it.

     Gym class was relatively uneventful, dodge ball, with Max ending up
getting out almost right off the bat. He spent most of the period talking
with the other kids who had gotten out early and joking around a bit. As he
chatted, he also snuck glances at Brandon as he moved around the gym and
occasionally, Brandon would look over towards the bleachers where Max and a
few others were sitting a quietly smile. As the period came to a close,
everyone filed back into the changing rooms once more. Since it was light
activity towards the end of the day, nobody had to shower, which Max was
thankful for, but it still meant changing clothes with Brandon O'Leary
again.

     As Max made his way towards the back and Brandon joined him once more,
they began to change, but Max was still having trouble with his self image.

     "You know, dude," Brandon said as he saw Max nervously looking around
as he took his shirt off, "you don't have a bad body, you know?"

     "I don't?" Max asked. "How can you say that, I mean... look at
you... you're like perfect. I mean, like... you look the way a fourteen
year old is supposed to look and I..."

     "Look the way a fourteen year old is supposed to look too?" Brandon
offered. "I mean, look over there at those other guys changing, they are
all different builds and stuff, some fat and some skinny, some with muscles
and some even hairy."

     Brandon laughed a little bit to himself at that part.

     "The point is, Max," Brandon tried to clarify, "you're a normal
fourteen year old, just like me, and you have a normal fourteen year old
body, just like me. I look at you and I think you're perfect too."

     Max and Brandon continued to change in silence as the bell rang out to
signal the end of the period. As Max gathered his things together and made
his way towards his last period history class, he couldn't stop thinking
about Brandon's words.




"Endothermic?" Brandon repeated the word as his voice carried a tinge of
fear. "Endothermic means that... mammals... it means mammals produce their
own body heat?"

     Max looked at the boy with unenthusiastic eyes.

     "Now, let's try saying that with confidence." The redhead coached
playfully.

     "Endothermic means that mammals produce their own body heat." Brandon
O'Leary said with confidence and a smile.

     "Very good," Max replied as he wrote down the final answer on the
second end of chapter review, "that is ten for ten."

     The two boys were once more sitting on the bed in Max's room studying,
but unlike the previous day, Brandon had seemed to get into the swing of
things and felt more comfortable in the unfamiliar environment. He hadn't
complained once to Max about studying and they had spent a whole hour
without interruption before Brandon aced his end of chapter review.

     "Want to celebrate?" Brandon said slyly as he leaned in towards Max, a
devilish look in his perfect blue eyes.

     "Wha... wha... what kind of celebrating?" Max stuttered as he slowly
began counting Brandon's freckles on his nose.

       "Celebrating of the raspberry jam variety, of course." Brandon
grinned. "Why what were you thinking?"

     "Umm, nothing," Max lied as he quickly dismissed a celebratory kiss.

     Brandon laughed a bit to himself.

     "What's so damn funny?" Max scowled to his new friend.

     "That look, it was so cute." Brandon replied innocently. "I swear if
you were a bunny, I'd take you home with me.

     As Brandon leapt from the bed and made his way towards the door, Max
seemed to make a devilish smirk of his own.

     "Come here and I'll show you `cute.'" Max threatened as he raced after
Brandon who had bolted from the doorway.




Mr. Hughes had been a bit surprised to find the boys wrestling in the
living room, but what surprised him more was that Brandon, while physically
stronger and more developed, was letting Max win a little. As he sighed to
himself and made some offhanded comment about the insatiable zeal for life
ascribed to youth, he made his way into the kitchen to start on dinner. The
boys seemed to wrestle a bit more before they calmed down, but their
laughing never seemed to end. Mr. Hughes was silently thankful for
Brandon's presence; it was definitely a positive effect of Max.

     "Wow," Brandon commented as dinner came to a close, "that was
amazing."

     "I'm glad you approve." Mr. Hughes replied as he collected the now
empty dishes from the table. "I'm going to get these washed up, but why
don't you boys go get Brandon's stuff together and I will take him home in
a few minutes."

     "Okay, dad," Max replied as he pushed out his chair and addressed
Brandon, "I can get that book you wanted to borrow."

     "Sweet." The youth replied as he joined Max.

     "It is sort of a long book, though, are you sure you are up for it?"
Max asked as he entered his room and found `Wizard's First Rule' on one of
his shelves.

     "Yeah," Brandon replied as he walked closer to Max, "it just might
take me a while and stuff, so don't expect it back anytime soon."

     "No problem," Max smiled as he turned around to hand Brandon the
weighty novel, "books are meant to be shared."

     "Cool." Brandon said with a tremor of uncertainty in his voice as he
took the book from Max, their fingers touching momentarily.

     Both boys seemed to fidget awkwardly for a few moments and Max Hughes
could feel something building up, like an unexplainable energy between
them. He couldn't say why he did it, or how he managed the courage, but
before he knew what he was doing he leaned forward and kissed Brandon
O'Leary on the cheek. As Brandon looked down at the goofy boy with the red
hair and glasses that had just kissed him, Max seemed to swallow hard,
waiting for Brandon's reaction.

     "Okay boys," Mr. Hughes interrupted as he stuck his head in, "I'm
ready to take Brandon home."

     Brandon turned startled to look at Mr. Hughes and when he turned back
around he appeared as white as a ghost.

     "Umm, okay, yeah... see you later Max." he had said quickly before he
disappeared out of Max's room.

     Mr. Hughes followed the boy with his eyes towards the front door and
turned around to look at his son, who was still slightly taken back by the
whole reaction. As Max's dad shrugged his shoulders at the strange reaction
of his son's friend, Max silently felt his little heart breaking into a
million pieces. As he heard his dad leave to drive Brandon home, Max
collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes. He rolled over and took his
glasses off, but didn't remove his clothes.

     "Max Hughes," the boy said to himself as he set his glasses on the
dresser next to his bed, "you are a stupid idiot."




All the next day, Max felt as if his kissing Brandon O'Leary was on full
display to the entire school, but nobody seemed to pay him any more or less
mind. After thinking about it, it made sense to Max that Brandon wouldn't
say anything about the kiss to anyone simply because Brandon wouldn't want
people thinking he was a weirdo either. While Max had seen Brandon a couple
times in the hallways, the boy didn't carry that same happy-go-lucky skip
in his step. If anything, the boy looked absolutely crushed and shattered.

     "What have I done?" Max thought to himself as he could see the
distancing Brandon was doing not just to Max but to everyone it seemed
like.

     As the day wore on, it came time for religion, a class that was held
every other day like gym, and as the class filed into Ms. Papa's room,
everyone took their respective seats. Max was seated towards the front of
the class, while Brandon was all the way towards the back. As Max ventured
a tentative look behind him, he could see that same crushed spirit Brandon
O'Leary had worn to school the first time Max had seen him in the hallway
today. It hurt Max to see Brandon in that much pain, but more so it hurt
him to know he had been the cause.

     Mrs. Helen Papageorgiou, or Ms. Papa as she was normally addressed,
was a stern woman of forty and possessed of exceptional height and
build. However, she was also sensitive and understanding without being
gullible and naïve. Immediately she sensed the unfamiliar auras in her
classroom, radiating from both Brandon O'Leary and Max Hughes. Most of the
kids in her class were emotionally undeveloped, and thus unaware of
Brandon's turmoil and Max's concern, so Ms. Papa played that to her
advantage and didn't call on either boy for the entirety of the class.

     "So, for homework..." Ms. Papa began, but she could see both boys had
spent the entire period elsewhere, "ah screw homework. It's Friday, so go
and enjoy the weekend."

     Everyone in class, except two, replied with cheers. While Max could
probably handle a full plate, Ms. Papa knew Brandon wasn't the brightest
bulb and may be going through something personal. She decided that the
homework she had planned could be converted into a worksheet for next
period, but she would definitely want to make sure things were okay for
both boys after the weekend. After all, it could be nothing, but she had
the sneaking suspicion that Max might like Brandon, and she didn't want to
do or say anything that would let either boy know she had noticed.

     Ah, she thought to herself, the stupidity of young love.

     After class got out, Ms. Papa was gathering her papers together when
she saw Brandon O'Leary make a b-line for Max Hughes and grab the unaware
youth by the arm and drag him off towards the back exit. Max had a look on
his face that told Ms. Papa he was as shocked as she was. As she moved
towards the doorway of her room, she saw the boys as Brandon pulled Max
along with him, out the door of the hallway and into the grass beyond. Due
to the layout of Ascension High School, no one would notice the boys as
they made their way across the grassy field and off of school grounds.

     As she carefully thought about whether or not to report their truancy,
she ultimately decided against it. She knew Brandon O'Leary, and he was not
a violent or aggressive child. She also knew Max Hughes, and he was a
sensitive and clownish individual with a good head on his shoulders. She
picked up the phone on her desk and dialed the front office.

     "Yes, this is Ms. Papa." She replied to Karin at the front
office. "Will you let Max Hughes' and Brandon O'Leary's teachers know I am
borrowing them for the next period? Good, thank you."

     As she hung up the phone, she smiled a bit to herself as she watched
from her window as the two boys disappeared over the grassy hill of the
school grounds. Sometimes, she thought, it is good to be the wife of the
principle.




The boys walked on in silence, the only sound was their footsteps as they
marched across the grass and towards the houses near the school
grounds. Max was so shocked by Brandon's action and the youth's utter
silence that he was unaware of where he was being led until he found
himself at the door of his own house. Once they stopped outside, Brandon
let go of his arm, but he still didn't say anything. Sensing he needed to
talk, but in private, Max fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked
the door to the small house.

     Once both boys were inside, Max locked the door and without a word
both gravitated towards Max's bedroom for the utmost privacy.

     "Umm... Brandon?" Max asked tentatively as the boy looked like he was
near tears. "I just wanted to say I am really sorry... really REALLY
sorry... and I know if this changes things between us it is all my
fault... but I just wanted to say..."

     "Trevor died." Brandon blurted out as Max could see the boy's lower
lip begin to quiver, his eyes watery and ready to break.

     Max was stunned into silence as he watched the beautiful and strong
boy he had admired from afar bare his soul before him. Brandon walked a few
steps forward, closing the distance to Max, and simply let his head sink
into Max's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around him. Max found his own
arms automatically embracing his friend in pain, and he heard Brandon begin
to sob; he could feel every reverberation in his own chest.

     "I came home the other night," he explained to the bewildered red
head, "and I went to check on him in is cage and he was dead. I didn't want
to believe it at first, but he wouldn't move... I knew he was dead,
but... my mom heard me crying and came to check on me, but she didn't
understand until I showed her he wasn't moving... my dad came up and was
all `what is the big deal it is just a stupid rabbit, it is not like it is
even a dog!'"

     At that point Brandon just cried and didn't say anything and Max just
continued to let him get it all out. As he did, both boys seemed to
gravitate towards the bed, and carefully, they lay down together, still
embracing. With a little effort, they found a comfortable position with
Brandon spooning Max, his strong arms desperately clinging to the smaller
boy as if he would somehow lose Max if he let go. For a while that is all
they did, lay in bed while Brandon cried and held onto Max.

     As Brandon's crying lessened, either by exhaustion, recollecting
himself, or both; Max sensed a change in his friend. His embrace had
somehow transformed into something more intimate and gentle, and Max could
feel Brandon's warm breathe on the back of his neck, just like the first
time they had cuddled like this.

     "I think, I understood..." Brandon said softly to Max as they lay
motionless on his bed, "when I saw Trevor... when I knew, I was afraid
because I was alone. I've always had lots of friends, people to hang out
with, girls to flirt with, but Trevor was always my buddy, someone I could
talk to about anything, someone to cuddle with if I felt scared or alone. I
know he was just a rabbit, but he was my friend, Max."

     Max could feel a gentle kiss on the nape of his neck, Brandon's lips
gingerly positioned in his soft red hair, and a sudden warm rush washed
over his body.

     "... but, I'm not alone, am I?" Brandon asked rhetorically. "Not as
long as I have you. You don't mind that I am not super smart, or that
sometimes I don't win a game, or that sometimes I just want to hold someone
close and snuggle, or that sometimes I think you are so cute I just want to
kiss you."

     Brandon seemed to move a bit as he repositioned himself slightly above
Max who had been pacified by his embrace. As Max looked up into Brandon's
sensitive eyes that seemed to be searching for something intangible, he
could feel their gentle love upon him.

     "You don't mind, do you?" Brandon asked in a whisper as he slowly
leaned down towards Max.

     As both boys shared their first real kiss, Brandon delicately explored
Max's lips with his own and both boys were lost in a world of their own
budding passion. They continued to explore each other's mouths, tentatively
at first, but then with greater confidence; Max feeling Brandon's
inquisitive tongue meeting his own. After a few minutes of exploring each
other's love, Brandon separated, giving Max a chance to breathe and reply.

     "No," Max responded to Brandon's previous question with a goofy grin,
"I don't mind at all."




AFTERWARDS

When Ryan Hughes got home he was surprised to find the house utterly quiet;
having expected a repeat of the previous evening's wrestling antics. As he
slowly made his way towards his son Max's room, he knocked gently and
cracked open the door. What he found was a shirtless Brandon O'Leary and an
equally shirtless Max Hughes snuggled up together on the bed, fast
asleep. After taking in the scene for a few more moments, he carefully
closed the door behind him with a knowing smile on his face.

     Mr. Hughes had suspected his son liked Brandon, maybe even loved him,
and who was he, as a father, to deny his son unconditional love and
understanding?

     "Hello, Rose?" Ryan Hughes spoke into the phone he had used to dial
the O'Leary residence. "Hi, it's Ryan Hughes, Max's father... oh, yes, I'm
good thank you. Listen, I know it is short notice, but the boys were
wondering if it would be alright if Brandon spent the night tonight. I told
them I would check with you... oh, not at all. He is more than... oh, I
see. No, he didn't say anything about that to me, but I am sure he and Max
have talked about it. I'm sorry to hear about his pet. Yes, I think he is
doing much better now."

     Ryan Hughes smiled to himself as he spoke with Brandon's mom, a more
complete picture of what had transpired coming together.

     "Well, I agree that maybe some time away from the house will do him
good." Mr. Hughes continued. "In fact, why don't Max and I entertain
Brandon this weekend, sort of get his mind off of things and give the boys
a chance to spend a little time together that doesn't involve studying. I
think it would be good for Max too, I haven't seen him out of his shell
like this since his mother left... oh, I see... really? Well I'm sorry to
hear about that. No, no I understand, I won't say anything about it to
Brandon... from one divorcé to another I know just how difficult this can
be. I certainly hope it wasn't this last incident between Brandon and his
father... no, I didn't think it was, but it is good to hear you are finally
taking a stand against him."

     "If you like," Mr. Hughes began to wrap up, "Max and I can swing
Brandon by the house tomorrow so he can pick up some clothes and a few
other things, and maybe the four of us can go get some lunch so you and
your son can talk? I think it would be better for him to hear about all of
this from you and knowing Max is nearby in case they need to talk, and I
will be there in case you need to talk too. No, not at all... I will see
you tomorrow afternoon. Yes, you too. Goodbye."

     As Ryan Hughes hung up the phone, the wheels in his head were already
turning. He liked Rose, he liked Brandon, and from the sounds of things the
other three boys were going to be siding with Mr. O'Leary in the coming
days, so Rose would need all the support she could get. He wasn't going to
break the news to Brandon that his mother and father were splitting up, nor
was it his place to tell the boy his mother had been unhappy in that
marriage for a long time. As he started putting together a light snack for
the boys for when they eventually woke up, Mr. Hughes hummed a little tune
to himself as he made some peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches.